Most patients received a low-intensity form of cognitive behavioural therapy, which involves helping patients to overcome negative thoughts.

Professor David Richards of York University, who carried out the research, said: “Although follow-up data on these patients will be important to investigate the lasting effects of the treatment, our results tell us [this] is an effective way to give depression and anxiety suffers the psychological help they need.”

The study was published in the British Journal of Clinical Psychology.

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